1830–1910
Profile
- Forenames
- Dirk
- Surname
- Stegeman
- Born
- Tonden (Brummen), 4 July 1830
- Died
- Deventer, 6 June 1910
- Occupation / role
- Head teacher, Schoolteacher
- 4 July 1830
Born
Tonden (Brummen)
- from 25 November 1854
- 6 June 1910
Died
Deventer
Family
Partner(s)
Hendrietta Engelina van Heuven
1828–1883 · from 25 November 1854
Sources
Note: Dirk Stegeman should not be confused with the minister Jan Derk Stegeman, after whom the Stegeman School was later named.
In the second half of the 19th century, Dirk Stegeman served for 45 years as head teacher of the Public Primary School in Aalten, first on Landstraat and, from 1886, on Herenstraat.
Dirk Stegeman was born on 4 July 1830, in the rural district of Tonden near Brummen, as the son of shoemaker Johannes Stegeman and Johanna Evers. He married Hendrietta Engelina van Heuven on 25 November 1854, in Ruurlo. No fewer than 11 children were born from this marriage, two of whom died at a young age.
Dirk Stegeman passed away on 6 June 1910, in Deventer at the age of 79.
In 1937, G.H. Rots described how things were in Aalten in former times in a series of articles. Regarding the school, he wrote:
“In the village of Aalten, all children attended a single school. There was no division. Children of all religious backgrounds sat side by side on the school benches. The school was located in a building on Landstraat next to the Reformed Church. The guardroom was downstairs and the school was on the upper floor. Master Stegeman ruled the roost there. Together with two assistant teachers, the youth of Aalten were educated. With six children to a bench, there were about 60 to 70 pupils per teacher in the winter. Every morning the classroom doors were opened, and the head of the school offered a prayer.
Order in the classroom was maintained with the rod, for those who would not listen were disciplined with a piece of wood. And Master Stegeman kept them in awe. But he was a hardworking man and spared no effort to ensure the education was as good as possible. Evening school provided a good opportunity to impart some knowledge to children who had to leave school early. Then the master had a smaller class and the teaching was more informal.”
Newspaper reports
